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Home composting and economic incentives
Published on 07 September 2021
Italy
Emilia-Romagna
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
Food scraps and yard waste together make up more than 30% of what we throw away, and could be composted instead. Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. To enhance home composting some Councils in Emilia-Romagna region have:
- introduced an economic incentive;
- strengthened support for households.
The City Council of Casalgrande grants a 20% reduction of the variable component of the tariff to citizens who undertake to compost the organic fraction of their waste directly in their garden, through the aid of a domestic composter.
The effect is the reduction of the amount of putrescible and therefore complicated waste to manage with positive effects on collection and a reduction in the costs of treatment and disposal of waste.
Good communication and Environmental education center to train householders are very important factors for the success of the scheme.
- introduced an economic incentive;
- strengthened support for households.
The City Council of Casalgrande grants a 20% reduction of the variable component of the tariff to citizens who undertake to compost the organic fraction of their waste directly in their garden, through the aid of a domestic composter.
The effect is the reduction of the amount of putrescible and therefore complicated waste to manage with positive effects on collection and a reduction in the costs of treatment and disposal of waste.
Good communication and Environmental education center to train householders are very important factors for the success of the scheme.
Resources needed
The investment is proportional to the number of participants and the amount of the tariff reduction. An average family of 4 people with an area subject to the tariff of about 160 sq m had a reduction of about € 40,00 in 2020. Since 200 householders joined the scheme, total expenditure was € 8.000,00
Evidence of success
The users who have declared to carry out domestic composting in Casalgrande are 200.
Considering that the reference value relating to the per capita production of domestical organic waste amounts to 67 kg per inhabitant per year, assuming 2 inhabitants equivalent per household, 26.8 tons is the amount of waste composted at home each year.
Considering that the reference value relating to the per capita production of domestical organic waste amounts to 67 kg per inhabitant per year, assuming 2 inhabitants equivalent per household, 26.8 tons is the amount of waste composted at home each year.
Potential for learning or transfer
The theme of home composting is very intuitive and easy to apply at school or family level, due to the practicality of the theme and the environmental implications.
Home composting is carried out in a very simple way and has no pretensions to large surfaces to be implemented.
It is an extremely intuitive and easily reproducible practice.
Alongside the economic incentives you can think of providing the composters for free, perhaps collaborating with private companies making themselves available to provide them in exchange for advertising.
Controls are not necessary if you offer assistance so as to gain conscious involvement. For example, through the following services:
• shredders to chop up wood waste;
• mechanical sieves to separate the mature compost;
• activators to obtain better compost faster;
• advice to solve any problems;
• quality analysis of the compost produced.
Home composting is carried out in a very simple way and has no pretensions to large surfaces to be implemented.
It is an extremely intuitive and easily reproducible practice.
Alongside the economic incentives you can think of providing the composters for free, perhaps collaborating with private companies making themselves available to provide them in exchange for advertising.
Controls are not necessary if you offer assistance so as to gain conscious involvement. For example, through the following services:
• shredders to chop up wood waste;
• mechanical sieves to separate the mature compost;
• activators to obtain better compost faster;
• advice to solve any problems;
• quality analysis of the compost produced.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
Organisation
Municipality of Casalgrande
Italy
Emilia-Romagna
Contact
Project Officer